297 





11 



" When the female is sitting, the male is ever on the watch, and warns his mate at the 

 slightest sign of danger by a loud cry, whereupon she immediately quits her nest, and both birds, 

 screaming incessantly, keep flying for hours together in the immediate neighbourhood of the 

 nest. On such occasions the males are bold to a degree, attacking savagely every one that ventures 

 to approach their nest ; they will swoop down on the sportsman or his dog, especially the latter, 

 and can with difficulty be driven away. The females take matters more coolly, posting them- 

 selves near the nest in some conspicuous spot, but always out of gun-range. It devolves upon 

 the male bird to go in search of prey, the duty of the female being to divide it when brought 

 to the nest among her young. Hence the former are always in a poor condition, whereas the 

 females are generally plump. Round about the nest are found mice and lemmings, dismembered 

 and entire." 



Mr. Lysne, the collector to whom Mr. Collett above refers, was working for Mr. J. A. 

 Harvie Brown, who, in a letter just received, writes to me as follows : — " During the season of 

 1872, Herr O. T. Lysne collected a number of the eggs of this species in Norway, about lati- 

 tude 61°. There were great numbers of lemmings (Lemmus norvegicus) on the fjelds, which 

 doubtless attracted these birds in unusual numbers. The situations of five nests of eggs pro- 

 cured by him were as follows, quoting from the collector's note-book : — 



" ' Nest 1. Seven eggs, 17. 6. 72, 0. T. L. ipse. Nest on a low hill. 



Nest 2. Four eggs, 1. 6. 72, L. IE. Nest merely a hollow in ground on top of a low hill. 

 Nest 3. Five eggs, 9. 7. 72, 0. T. L. ipse. The nest was placed on the top of a low 

 rock, and was merely a hollow in the reindeer-moss. 



" ' Nest 4. Four eggs, 13. 7. 72, 0. T. L. ipse. The nest was placed at the side of a hill 

 on a rock. 



" ' Nest 5. Four eggs, 23. 7. 72, 0. T. L. ipse. Nest on a hill.' 



" Herr Dr. Printz, of Slidre, informed Mr. E. R. Alston and myself when in Norway in 1871, 

 that the nest of this species had only once before been discovered so far south : this was upon 

 the Valdersfjeld." 



Of the Snowy Owl I possess only eight eggs in my collection, of which one is from Arch- 

 angel, two from Lulea, Lapland, obtained through Mr. W. Meves, and five from Nystuen, on the 

 Fille-fjeld, Norway, taken on the 9th of July, 1872. These last are rather dirty, and discoloured 

 with nest-stains. Mr. Lysne, the collector who took them, writes that " the nest was placed on 

 the top of a low rock, and was a mere hollow in the reindeer-moss ; both birds were seen, but 

 were very wild : these eggs are the dirtiest I have ever seen." In size the eggs of the Snowy 

 Owl measure from 2^ by lf^ inch to 2^} by 1|^, are pure white in colour, and roundish oval 

 in shape, not so round as those of the Eagle Owl ; and the grain is much finer than in these 

 latter. 



In the foreground of the Plate I have figured an adult male, and in the background a some- 

 what younger female, and on an extra Plate the nestling, these being the specimens described, 

 all of which are in my collection. 



In the preparation of the above article I have examined the following specimens : — 



4h2 



